


Adventures in babysitting

by myotishia



Series: Thin ice [11]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-08 06:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21471322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: When Gwen is in a bind and all usual childcare arrangements have fallen through it's up to the team to take care of baby Anwen.A collection of very short accounts of the teams time babysitting.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Thin ice [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1465414
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

Monday mornings were never fun but when it was raining heavily and there was nothing going on they were worse. What was strange about the hub that morning was that Gwen was nowhere to be seen. Ianto was ten minutes away from calling her to make sure she was still alive when she walked in looking like a drowned rat, with Anwens car seat covered in her coat in her hand. She looked flustered and generally miserable.

“You know, I don’t mind you bringing Anwen to visit but didn’t we discuss giving us warning?” Asked Jack.

She pulled the coat off the car seat to reveal a sleepy baby, happily chewing on a bear shaped blanket. “Can you not? I’m having the worst morning.”

“Ok, ok. Calm down, breathe, tell us what happened.”

“Well, other than my car deciding to completely give up the ghost three streets away, we got a call about Rhys’ mum being in hospital and we have to go and see her. Then I call our babysitter and one of the other kids she takes care of has the measles so we can’t risk her passing that on and for the icing on the cake we’re apparently in the middle of a measles outbreak so even our backups can’t take her. I can’t take her with us and Rhys isn’t taking can we go and see her at the weekend because he’s got it into his head that his mum’s bloody dying and-” She paused for a moment as Ianto handed her a towel. “Thanks.”

“That’s a lot to unpack but I think I got the gist of it. I’m sure we can work something out.”

Gwen sighed deeply, coming down from her frantic state. “Thank you.”

“Is it a bad time to tell you your top’s inside out?” 

“I swear if you weren’t helping me out here I would throw this towel at you so hard.”

“No violence in front of the baby.”

Elise stood in front of Gwens death glare. “I’ll see if I can revive your car. If it’s anything serious I can tow it down to the garage and have you up and running again before lunch time.”

“Thanks. The engine wouldn’t even turn over so I’m not holding out much hope.” She took her car keys and handed them over.

“It’ll be fine. Chill.”

“Need someone to hold an umbrella? Do any heavy lifting?” Owen smiled, just wanting something to do.

“I’m usually the one helping you with the heavy lifting but yea. You can bring a torch too. I’ll go grab my tool box.”

He kicked away from his desk and hopped up to follow. 

“So that’s sorted, now to fix your childcare problem.” Jack smiled. He knew the bind Gwen was in as anyone who was left in charge of Anwen had to go through a detailed background check and Tosh had insisted on doing the snooping herself. It ruled out a lot of people and taking a baby on a long, and emotionally charged, trip was a very bad idea. 

Tosh looked over at them. “Why don’t we just take care of her? How long will you be away?”

“A week, max.” Gwen clarified.

“Well, the rift’s going through a quiet phase and if anything happens I’m sure one of us can hang back to care for her. If we divide up the days then no one gets too overwhelmed.”

Jack agonised over the idea. “The hub isn’t the safest place for a baby.”

“We can make a safe place for her in here, and it’s not as if she’ll be left unattended. I know our house is pretty easy to baby-proof.”

“I don’t like it but there aren’t too many other options. Ok. We’ll take care of her. As soon as your car’s fixed grab everything she’ll need for a week.”

Gwen visibly relaxed. “Thank you. I’ll make up the time somehow, and she’s pretty easy to care for as babies go. She only wakes up once or twice a night.”

“I’d like to just mention I didn’t personally agree to any of this.” Grumbled Owen, watching Gwen place three bags packed with Anwens things down in the boardroom. 

Tosh rolled her eyes, bouncing the baby in her arms. “Then you don’t have to but I am so you just have to deal with it.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t, I just didn’t agree to anything.”

“Will she have enough milk for the week Gwen?”

Anwens mother looked up from double checking everything was where it should be. “For the first day but she can have formula until I get back. If she starts getting really fussy and refusing her bottle there’s a few packets of mashed banana baby food in the pink bag that you can give her a spoonful of. I think she’s starting to get bored of milk all the time. She usually gets fed on demand and if you can’t get her to sleep just take her around the block in the car and she’ll be out like a light.”

“Ok.”

“I’ve got everything written down in the little book in the blue bag… I wish I didn’t have to leave her like this.”

“It’s only for a few days and we can always call you.”

“I know, I know. Still, I don’t get to see her in the day but I always see her in the evening and in the morning.”

“The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back. Rhys is probably losing his mind waiting for you.”

“You’re right.” She sighed. “He was more worried about this childcare thing than I was.”

“More reason to give her a cuddle and get gone.” Said Owen, passing Anwen over to her mum.


	2. Day one

Ianto had agreed to care for Anwen first as they tried to think of a way to keep her safe downstairs. She was happily laying on the brightly coloured play mat, batting at the shiney toys suspended above whiles babbling to herself. He’d taken the moment to finalise his report on what happened with Solomon and order dinner. Though the rift itself was quiet there was a small backlog of miscellaneous bits and pieces, technology that needed to be catalogued, bodies that needed to be sorted into usable and those ready for study/incineration, reports that Jack should have signed off on before Anwen was born. The door to the tourist information centre opened, allowing a blond woman holding five pizza boxes to enter, escaping from the rain. She wiped her feet on the mat before approaching the desk. 

“I bet you’re bored to tears with this weather keeping everyone away.” She said, placing the boxes down. 

Ianto smiled. “It’s not so bad. I’ve got a helper today.”

“Oh?” She looked around before hearing a gurgling and the clattering of plastic hitting plastic. She peeked around the side of the desk and gasped. “Who’s this gorgeous little one?”

“I’m pulling double duty as a babysitter for one of my workmates. This is Anwen.”

“Hi Anwen.” The blond woman cooed. “I’m Annie. How old is she?”

“Around four months. I’m glad she isn’t crawling yet, I’d have to spend all day chasing her around.”

“I’m sure she’s getting into plenty of trouble right here.” 

“Only when she screams at me for not paying attention to her.” 

Annie chuckled. “Be nice to Ianto, he’s doing his best.”

“Any more deliveries tonight?”

“Naa. You’re the only one I personally deliver to nowadays.”

“Really?”

“Well yea. I’m store manager now.” 

“Congratulations.”

“Speaking of. I’ve got to get back. Nice meeting you Anwen. See you soon Ianto.” She waved as she rushed back out into the rain, making sure the door was closed behind her to block out the cold. Ianto sent a message downstairs as he couldn’t leave his post, even for pizza. Anwen began to fuss.

“Oh, did you smell pizza? I don’t think your mum would be too happy if I gave you pizza.” He picked her up. “But I can get you milk.” 

She settled a little hearing the word milk but was still cranky. Jack appeared through the hidden door and grabbed the boxes. “Having fun?” 

“She’s been playing on her mat but I think the smell of pizza has her hungry.”

“I know the feeling.” He locked the outer door. “Come on, before she starts screaming.”

It was easy to tell that Ianto had cared for a small child before as he managed to prop Anwen up and hold the bottle for her with one arm so he could eat with the other. It wasn’t a comfortable position but it meant he didn’t have to sit and wait until she was done. Jack was watching with a slightly dreamy look on his face admiring just how efficient and comfortable his boyfriend looked. 

“Are we going to work out a rota or something?” Asked Tosh, wiping her hands on a napkin.

Jack snapped back to reality. “ Huh? For what?”

“For who’s babysitting overnight. And now Elise has the playpen put together we can care for her in the day too. Ianto’s overworked enough as it is.” 

Ianto said nothing but a smile did creep across his face.

Jack pretended to not see his lovers reaction. “She can stay here tonight. Moving her around twice in one day could be stressful.”

“That’ll give us chance to make sure our place is baby proofed too.” Nodded Elise, leaning back in her chair. “Gwen forgot her travel cot but her playpen is padded with foam that’s safe for her to sleep on. I made sure the whole thing was baby proof.”

Ianto raised an eyebrow. “When and how?”

“I went out earlier to get the materials. I looked at a lot of the cots and playpens for general sale but none of them had satisfactory construction in my opinion.”

“On your own?”

“Well yea. Solomon won’t be healed up enough to walk, let alone expend the energy to puppet someone else to be any kind of threat. I’m making the most of it.”

Owen took another slice from the nearest box. “Don’t bother, we’ve already talked about this. Can’t stop her.” 

“Nope. I was at my most observant anyway.”

“This isn’t about you not paying attention.”

Jack looked between them. “And why wasn’t I informed about this?”

“I don’t need to tell anyone whenever I go anywhere.” Elise grumbled.

“You kinda do.”

“Don’t pull rank on this.”

“I don’t have much of a choice. All I’m asking is that you tell me where you’re going just in case. It isn’t just about your safety Elise, you can’t be so reckless.”

“I’m not having this conversation in front of Anwen.”

“Then we can talk about it tomorrow morning.”

Tosh spoke up, wanting to break the tension that had risen in the room. “We still haven’t sorted out a rota.”

“I’ll take care of her tonight.” Said Ianto, placing a towel over his shoulder so burping the baby didn’t lead to a dry cleaning bill. “Logically that would mean Jack taking care of her tomorrow night unless anything drastic happens.”

“Then I can take her on Wednesday and you two-” She nudged Owen in the arm. “Can argue over who takes Friday and Saturday.”

Owen smirked. “I’m taking Saturday. Gwen should be back before then.” 

As evening transitioned to night Ianto found himself too tired to grab anything from home so he’d just wear what he’d left at the hub when he got up in the morning. Now minus his jacket he was comfortably immersed in the sofa with a very sleepy Anwen resting on his arm. She was fighting sleep but the multitude of small lights around the hub were better than any mobile or nightlight for aiding sleep. Jack carefully sat next to him, not wanting to disturb the baby.

“She really doesn’t like this bedtime idea, huh?” 

“Not even a little bit. She’s just being stubborn.” 

“Just like her mum.”

“Speaking of, did she get to the hospital? I haven’t been near my phone to check.”

“Yea. Looks like she’s going to be there for the full week.”

“It could be worse.” Jack smirked but his eyes seemed more worried than he was letting on.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing.”

“Jack, I’m not beyond trying to fix that lie sensor. What’s bothering you?”

“I just don’t want to have to repeat myself with Elise in the morning.”

“She understands, she’s just frustrated. You’d be pulling the same stunts if you were in her position. She wouldn’t intentionally put herself in danger. For her there’s no end in sight for all of this.”

“This is about more than her.”

“She knows. She’s considered having her right hand removed to sever her connection to the rift but it’s in her cells now so that won’t work. Just talk to her in the morning and try not to be on the offensive right off the bat. She’ll be in early anyway.”

“Why?”

“She’s teaching me to sword fight.”

“Plan on fighting a dragon some time soon?”

“Don’t joke. Around here it could happen.”

“Well, it looks like we finally bored her to sleep.”

Ianto looked down to see Anwen fast asleep. “Sleep sounds good right now.”

“Here, I’ll put her to bed.”


	3. Day two

Jack danced around his office with Anwen in his arms who was giggling and waving her hands. He’d been singing to her only twenty minutes before until Ianto had woken up. At least that’s what the Welshman had said, Jack suspected he’d been listening.

“Have you fed her yet?” Asked Ianto, now dressed in a black t shirt and jogging trousers.

“Fed, burped, changed and entertained. She likes music.”

“I heard.”

“I told you he was listening.” He said dramatically switching the arm Anwen was sat on.

“I wasn’t listening but you aren’t exactly quiet.”

He gave his most mischievous smile. “I’ll have to think of other ways to wake you up that won’t make you so grumpy.”

“None of that talk in front of the baby. You have to be on your best behaviour until tomorrow.” 

“How will I cope? I might die.”

“When has that ever stopped you? Coffee?”

“Please. So, how long have you been learning to hit things with giant knives?”

“Only a couple of weeks. I’m still stuck trying to not look at where I’m putting my feet. I’ve been reliably informed that’s how you get stabbed.”

“There are many ways to get stabbed. I’ve got to be honest, looking at my feet is a new one. Can I watch?”

“If you have to. It won’t be that entertaining, we’re not using metal swords yet.”

Jack bit his lip, suppressing all the jokes that had popped into his mind. “What are you using then?”

“Wooden replicas… All the dirty jokes and you can’t say a single one. Today’s going to be entertaining.” 

“You have a cruel streak Ianto Jones.”

“You’re the one who’s smiling.” He handed over Jacks mug of coffee, making sure it was far enough away that Anwen couldn’t try and slap it.

Elise felt like she was walking into class without her homework. Jack had been right, but it didn’t make her feel any less trapped. She wanted to smooth things over with him before the work day started but it was going to be uncomfortable at best. She dropped her bag onto her desk chair and pulled out the two wooden swords, wrapped in fabric. 

“Morning.” Jack said from behind her, making her jump and Anwen laugh.

“Bloody hell! Please don’t do that.”

“No bad language in front of the baby.”

“Sorry.” She placed the wooden swords down on her desk. “Before you tell me I was being dumb, I know. I agree. I was just… Having a little independence felt so close and I was just trying to make the most of it. It was reckless and I shouldn’t have just been thinking of myself. I could have doomed the world if I miscalculated how long it would take for Solomon to heal.”

“I appreciate it. I do understand and as soon as I find a way to stop Solomon permanently you’ll be the first to know. I don’t want him to get close to you ever again.”

“Other than a bruised wrist and threatening me he hasn’t managed that much so far.” 

He paused, studying her. Was she just trying to keep what they’d spoken about separate from the current situation, or had she not put two and two together? He was pulled out of his thoughts by a tiny hand smacking him in the nose. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I not being entertaining enough for you little miss?”

Elise chuckled. “We shouldn’t be talking about serious stuff in front of her anyway. I’ve got a lesson to get to.”

“Can we watch?”

“If she’s ok with loud noises I don’t mind.”

_ Don’t look at your feet, block, move, strike, don’t fall over, don’t look at your feet, concentrate on the opponent, overhead strike, sweep, look for an opening in their defence, don’t look down, strike. _ Ianto mentally ordered himself as he tried to keep up with his teacher. The loud snap of wood against wood sliced through the air, though it didn’t seem to bother Anwen in the slightest. She was fascinated with the movement and noise. Jack was simply impressed. He knew Ianto, for being a generally passive person, had a natural gift when it came to weaponry. It was just one of the universes quirks, and a very useful one. It also allowed him to keep up with Elise who moved like the sword was just part of her. 

Jack wasn’t sure if the display was incredibly attractive or terrifying. Both, definitely both.

“You’re doing much better. I think once you’re a bit more confident you can have the sword I have in the workshop.” Elise smiled.

Ianto placed the wooden sword down. “The what?”

“What? You think I’m going to let you use something cheap that’ll shatter at the first blow? Not a chance. It’s not as fancy as some but as a first practice sword I think it’ll work really well.” 

“When did you have time for that?”

“Remember last week when I stayed until around three in the morning?”

“How didn’t I hear anything?”

“You were… Occupied.”

He blushed lightly and Jack grinned, looking very pleased with himself. 

“Anyway, Shower time. I don’t want to be all gross when the others get here.” She took the two wooden swords and wrapped them up, smiling over at Anwen. “I’ll teach you when you’re older. You’ve already got an excellent slap so you’ve got some self defence.”

Anwen babbled as if to reply then scrunched up her nose, her cheeks turning red. 

“Well, gotta go.” Elise scooted back, pulling Ianto along. “Got lots to do, no time to hang around, still gotta ask Tosh about the little profile problem on the system. Byeee.” 

Jack, a little blindsided by the sudden exit looked down, then the smell hit him.

“If I wasn’t the one who fed you I’d wonder what you could have possibly eaten.” 

Tosh sighed, looking at the same request for the sixth time that month. She didn’t know why the system was being so difficult about something as simple as a birth date. 

But, she supposed, that was one of the downfalls of a system that could use logic independently. It saw that the date of birth occurred in the current year and insisted it had to be a mistake, no matter how many times Tosh had amended it and confirmed it was correct. She’d just use the date that she’d put on all of Elises forged documents but they needed an accurate date on file. The only exception to that rule was Jack, but he made the rules so he got a pass on that one. It wasn’t the biggest deal but it was one of those little frustrations she had to deal with on an almost daily basis. Not the best start to the morning. A pen clattered across the desk in front of her and she turned to see where it had been thrown from. 

“Tosh.” Owen began.

“Yes?”

“Come and help me with this backlog.”

She smiled and turned back to her computer. “You don’t need my help.”

“It’s boring on my own. I wonder how this one died, oh he hasn’t got a head, that’d do it.”

“I’ve got things I need to do.”

“No you don’t. I checked. Come on, it’ll make the morning go faster.”

She turned her chair to look at him. “Fine. I suppose I can do this later.”

He grinned and disappeared back down to the autopsy bay. 

Jack sighed, wishing lunch time would hurry up and arrive, while Anwen was napping. She’d decided his shirt was the perfect place to nap and had the grip of gorilla covered in glue. She wasn’t being moved any time soon. Ianto peeked around the office door.

“Umm… You have a conference call in ten minutes. Do you want me to take her?”

“That’s today?”

“It is Tuesday sir… Why is she dressed like a pterodactyl?” 

“She decided she didn’t like todays outfit and decided to show it in an explosive kind of way. This was the next best option.”

He tried to contain a chuckle. “Should I move her?”

“You can try, but she’s not going to like it.”

Ianto reached over to carefully pry her away but the second she felt movement the high pitched whine babies keep for when their world is ending rose from her. He let go and she settled again, returning to her nap.

“It’s ok. I’ll explain it somehow.”

“I could cover the camera.”

“That would make it even harder to explain if she does wake up. It’s fine. I’ll call you if she wakes up.”

As if on cue a sound rang out, not loud enough to disturb the baby but definitely noticeable. 

“I’ll get things set up in the boardroom.” 

“Thanks.”

Martha smiled as the call was answered. “Hi. We’re busy so you’re stuck with me.”

“Good to see you. Looking lovely as always.” He beamed, sitting carefully.

“New staff member?”

“This is Anwen. I’m babysitting.”

“Head of Torchwood three, ex time agent, babysitter. Why not?”

“Gwen had a family emergency.”

“I hope it’s nothing too bad.”

“I think her mother in law’s in hospital. What’s got you so busy?”

“Oh yea. We’ve been intercepting a few interesting signals but they haven’t been decoded yet. We’re trying to track down the source but it keeps moving. The first one was from North America, then Japan, then Norway and so on.”

“Want us to take a look?”

“Not yet. I think we’ve got it handled. I’ll keep you updated if anything changes. It’s funny, I think we have you to thank for our funding increase.”

“Really?”

“Yea, apparently the prime minister was so annoyed with you he decided we were a priority. He seems to think he can play us against each other.”

“If he wasn’t such a big headed blowhard I might have been nicer.”

“Speaking of, ready to get this over with?”

“I don’t think we can get away with just avoiding him. I can’t wait for the next election.”

“Was the previous one this bad?”

“No. Most of them are hands off and just let us do what we need to do. The last one who was this bad was Thatcher. I could tell you some stories about her.” He opened the waiting line and saw the reddening face of the prime minister. “Good morning Mr Johnson, how can I help you today.”

“Well firstly you ca- what is that?” The official asked, completely knocked off his stride.

“This? This is a baby. I thought you had children of your own.”

“Is this a joke to you? Why on Earth would you bring a baby to a meeting of any kind?”

“She was sleeping and I wasn’t going to disturb her. It’s bad to wake a baby.”

“Can’t she be with her mother or something?”

“No, she can’t. She’s asleep and won’t be a problem so can we please get down to business? This is Dr Martha Jones acting as UNIT representative.”

“Ah yes, I believe we’ve spoken before Dr Jones.”

Martha put on the most fake smile Jack had ever seen. “Last month I think.”

“Ah yes. It was. So, on to business. I’ve heard disturbing rumours that you have an alien on your payroll Captain.”

“I assure you every member of my staff was born and raised on Earth.” Jack said plainly.

Martha nodded. “I can verify that. I met all of the Torchwood employees during my time assisting them on a cooperative operation and all of them are human.”

“That’s good. I wouldn’t want to have to lecture you on the importance of -” The prime minister was cut off as Jack gave him a rather icy stare. 

“Is there anything else you need?”

“I’ve seen some disturbing statistics that indicate a huge rise in the number of reported deaths and I’d like to know why.”

She raised an eyebrow, utterly confused. “We have nothing that could cause that.”

“Well it could be due to the economy going down the drain, cuts to mental health services, you know, things you’re in charge of.” Jack made sure his finger was on the mute button just in case Johnson lost his temper. Instead the man sputtered and hung up. 

“You don’t pull your punches, do you?” She chuckled. 

“He doesn’t fund Torchwood. I don’t have to play nice just in case he has a hissy fit and tries to take our budget away. Someone has to make sure he knows not everyone is under his thumb. People like him think they’re untouchable and they always end up hurting everyone else.” Anwen stirred, stretching and yawning. She blinked sleepily, nuzzling at Jacks shirt. “Hello again sugarplum. Did you have a nice nap?” He smiled.

“I didn’t wake her up did I?”

“No, she’s been asleep for a while. She’s going to be hungry soon anyway.”

“Hi Anwen.” 

He turned Anwen around to face the screen and held her little hand to wave to Martha. “This is Martha.”

“Awww. She’s so sleepy. I love her little costume.”

“Elise had it made for her before she was born.”

The baby looked around. “Babababababababa.” She babbled before sticking her fist in her mouth.

“I agree.”

“I’ll let you go before she realises it’s lunch time.” Martha said.

“I could go for lunch too. You should visit us some time.”

“I’ll try when we’re not so busy. Talk soon. Bye.”

The team had caught up with most of the busy work needed by the afternoon. Ianto had even had the chance to make a list of things needed to restock the hubs kitchen. He’d considered trying to clean out Jacks food stashes but doing that without at least a weeks notice lead to him being snappy and quick to stress out. The first time he’d swept the place to make sure nothing went rotten Jack had been a nightmare to deal with but wouldn’t say why. Jack didn’t even realise why he’d been so on edge. It only clicked when he looked in the draw next to his bed and found the half eaten cake bar he’d left there the night before gone and nearly had an anxiety attack. After all he was the only one ever down there wasn’t he? All except Ianto of course. That had been an enlightening night. 

Just as Ianto had been collecting the empty coffee mugs left around the place his mobile rang. 

“Hi.” Said Gwen, sounding tired. 

“Hello. How’re you doing?”

“I’ve been better. How’s Anwen?”

“She’s having lots of fun. Even napped through a conference call earlier. I was thinking of making her a little ID card.”

She laughed softly. “I’m glad she’s having fun. Rhys’ mum should be able to go home by Thursday so we should be back Friday. Anything else going on?”

“It’s been quiet here, but that could mean we just haven’t found anything yet. Not that I want to tempt fate.”

“Knowing my luck there’ll be an invasion on Friday or something.” 

“Don’t jinx it.”

“Right, got to go. We’re heading out for dinner.”

“Have fun. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thanks again for this.”

“What are friends for?” 


	4. Day three

Anwen decided she did not like wearing her socks. Socks were for waving around and throwing, not keeping her feet warm. As one of her tiny white socks was launched from her play mat and onto the floor Tosh decided it was possible that putting the sock back on was pointless. She’d just have to make sure the area was warm. She bent down to pick up the tiny sock and when she looked back Seren was standing next to Anwen, sniffing the air.

“Seren no. Get out of there.” Tosh rushed over and picked the plant cat up, placing it down outside of the play pen. It turned and huffed as if awfully insulted at being moved from the side of the warm pillow with arms.

“Back to the greenhouse.”

It flicked its tail and trotted off back to its home. In the meantime Anwen had grabbed her other sock and was waving it around. 

“You’re going to have one of those days aren’t you. You haven’t been out in a few days have you? Let’s go for a walk.” Tosh smiled, picking the baby up. “Gwen didn’t bring your pushchair so we can’t go too far but you could do with some fresh air and sunlight. Now, where’s your coat?”

“You’re going out?” Asked Ianto as he walked past. 

“Just for a walk.”

“I’m about to go shopping if you want to come along. We’ve got her car seat.”

“Can we take my car? It’ll mean I don’t have to wrestle so much with the car seat tonight.”

“I don’t mind. How did the baby proofing go?”

“Owen spent all last night double checking things were safe. He said it was because Gwen would murder him if there was even a scratch on this sweet little bean when she got back. I think he’s just worried about her in general.”

“He’s right though. Gwen would murder him.” 

As soon as they walked into the supermarket Anwen began to fuss. 

“She probably needs her bum changed. I can get started if you want to take her.” Ianto said, pointing to the bathrooms. 

Tosh looked uncomfortable. “Um… I suppose… I um…”

“What?”

“I don’t know… I mean I’ve never had to…” She was swiftly going red. 

“Oh. No problem. I can take her. I’ll teach you when we get back.” 

“Are you sure? Sorry.”

“It’s not a big deal. She doesn’t come with instructions.” He picked the baby up and slung the changing bag over his shoulder. “Be right back.”

She nodded and watched him go. Leaning heavily on the trolly she sighed deeply, trying to fathom why the idea of something so simple as changing a nappy made her so anxious. She was a genius. How hard could it really be? Wasn’t this mothering thing meant to come easy to women, especially if they played with dolls and things as kids? She knew that not every woman wanted children but at some point she had considered it. Before it became a practical impossibility with work of course.

She was snapped from her thoughts by a tap on the shoulder.

“Falling asleep?” Asked Ianto as he placed Anwen back in the plastic seat of the trolly, clipping the little harness in place to stop her wriggling out. 

“Sorry. I think I just spaced out for a while… Ianto… You learned to take care of a baby from your sister, didn’t you?”

“Kind of. I had a friend I stayed with for a couple of weeks when I was a teenager. She had a two month old and she said I could stay as long as I helped her out with him.”

“So you were a natural then.”

“God no. The first time she changed his nappy in front of me I nearly threw up. Then all the night feedings and crying for no reason. Him, not me.”

She felt a little better. “So it gets easier.”

“Worried about tonight?”

“A bit.”

“She can stay with me. I don’t mind.”

“No, that wouldn’t be right. This should be a skill I have and I’ll have help so I’ll be ok.”

“Has Owen worked out he’s going to have to take care of her for one of the days?”

“Not yet. It’s his own fault for not listening in the meeting.”

By the time Tosh got home she’d calmed down and felt much more confident about handling whatever babysitting could bring. Elise carried Anwens play mat and the travel cot she’d spent the afternoon making. She dropped them down in the living room and turned back to take two bags from Owen. He rolled his shoulders.

“What did Gwen pack, bricks?” 

Tosh smiled and sunk into the sofa, kicking off her shoes. “She was in a rush so she just packed whatever she could grab.”

“So, bricks then.” He grabbed the play mat and unrolled it across the rug. 

She moved forward and placed Anwen down. “There you go.”

Anwen looked around at the new surroundings and awkwardly tried to roll over, not quite getting it and shouting in frustration. 

“Ok. Ok.” She picked the baby up and placed her on her front.

She giggled and slapped the brightly coloured shapes on the mat, looking up at Owen as he unlaced his boots. She reached a tiny hand out and grabbed his sleeve.

He paused. “Can I help you?” 

She squealed happily and kicked her legs.

Tosh smiled warmly. “I think she’s taken a shine to you.”

“Why?”

“You have a charm.”

“Yea, but I’m not a teletubby.”

Elise lent in the doorway. “Babies are like cats. If you ignore them they find you more interesting. Speaking of cats, guess who got in the house again.” She held out a large, fluffy, tuxedo cat wearing a red collar. Tibbles meowed softly.

“How? I swear this place is one step from being airtight.”

“No idea. Maybe he’s actually an alien.”

“He’s a cat.”

“He looks like a cat. He was found as a stray so you never know. It’s not as if we’ve checked.”

“I’m not testing on next doors cat. If it starts glowing or floating around the room I’ll think about it.”

“Fine. I’ll give him some ham and put him outside.”

“He’ll keep coming back if you feed him.”

“But look at his little face.”

“And his fat stomach.”

“Stop fat shaming him. He’s a good boy.”

“It’s not fat shaming when it’s a cat.” He smiled, watching her walk to the kitchen carrying the large ball of fur. 


	5. Day four

Ianto looked around the hub, paying particular attention to the fact that Anwens playpen was empty. “Where’s the baby?”

“Hmm?” Tosh looked up from her screen. “She’s with Owen.”

“What?”

“He’s showing her the rats.”

“By choice?”

She chuckled softly. “He was the one feeding her at five this morning.”

“Are we sure that’s Owen and he hasn’t been replaced?” 

“He has a soft soul underneath all that attitude.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” 

“I’ve noticed a couple of time disturbances this morning. They’re small but they seem similar to when the time agency tried to assassinate Jack.” 

“You think they’re back?”

“Possibly. It might be someone using the same technology. I’ve sent what I have to Jack but I think he’s out.”

“He left at about eight saying he had a contact to speak to. If he doesn’t reply in an hour I’ll call him. Can you pinpoint where?”

“I can get a general area but that isn’t saying much. Whoever it is I think they know what they’re doing.”

“If you’re travelling through time I should hope so.” He stood back as he heard the lift engage. “Good timing.”

Jack didn’t look happy as he pulled off his coat.

“I assume the meeting didn’t go well.” Ianto took the coat and folded it over his arm.

“The meeting was fine. It was what I found out that’s bad.”

“Oh? Did you get Tosh’s message?”

“I did. Don’t worry, the time blips were who I was meeting. They told me we’re going to have some trouble.”

“What level of trouble?”

“Bounty hunters. The kind that consider collateral damage a fun part of the job. Apparently destroying the ship that was trying to freeze us has pulled some attention our way. For now they only know a vague area so we might have to be careful in daylight hours for a while.” 

“I’ll make sure our cover’s up to date.”

“Where is everyone?”

“Owen’s showing Anwen the rats and Elise is in her workshop.”

“I’ll make sure they know what’s going on.”

Anwen woke from her nap, cuddled up to Elises arm in her playpen. She hadn’t been settling so Elise, in her unique wisdom, curled up in the pen too. The baby reached up and grabbed the collar of her shirt, pulling hard. Elise jolted awake, looking around in confusion until she remembered what was going on. She pulled Anwen onto her lap and sat up. 

“Hi kiddo. Looks like you weren’t the only one who needed some sleep. You can’t have my collar sweetheart, it’s kind of attached to the rest of my top and taking that off right now would be rude.”

She continued trying to put the collar of Elises shirt in her mouth, not listening one bit. Tosh chuckled to herself. 

“How long was I out?”

“You fell asleep about five minutes after she did.”

“What’s got you so entertained?”

“I might have photos of you two napping. Gwen texted asking how things were going and I replied.” She looked mischievous, waving her phone lazily at the edge of her desk.

“Please tell me I wasn’t catching flies.”

“Maybe.”

“Well kiddo, looks like I have to go into hiding and live with the weevils now.” Elise pulled herself up, keeping Anwen just far enough from her collar so it couldn’t be chewed on. 

“Don’t be so dramatic. You’re cute when you’re sleeping anyway.”

“Don’t try and butter me up now, cheeky.”

Tosh set her computer to standby. “I’m going to grab the ingredients for dinner. Owen’s finishing up but he’s going to be another hour. Do you want to come with or wait?”

“I’ll come with you. I don’t have time to start anything and there’s no point in me sitting here doing nothing.” 

Elise had just gotten Anwen strapped to her chest when she felt the heavy presence of eyes watching her. 

“Tosh, can you feel that?” She asked, looking around as best she could without making it too obvious. 

“Feel what?”

“Are we being watched?” 

“I… I’m not sure-” A flash of light was followed by an impact by Toshikos feet that sent pieces of tarmac flying in all directions. They were too far from the car to use it for cover so the next best thing was to run. They couldn’t head towards the shops because of all the people around so the only option was towards the nearest residential area. Tosh took her earpiece from her coat pocket and hit the SOS as the ground just behind her burst. Elise grabbed her hand and pulled her down a side street.

“I’ll distract them, you take the baby.” Eli said, reaching to unclip the carrier. 

She took her hand. “No. You take her. Teleport somewhere safe.”

“I can’t just leave you.”

“I’ll be fine, go!” 

With no time to argue Elise kissed her before running down a street to her left as Tosh took the path to the right. The bounty hunter, a tall, bulky figure, with scaly skin and a sonic blaster skidded to a stop at the intersection.

“You, go after the one with the infant!” They hissed, pointing down the left hand street. 

Tosh could hear them and knew they weren’t far behind. She needed to either lose them or trap them somewhere. She was not wearing the kind of shoes made for running around, those she kept under her desk, but she doubted they’d give her the chance to change them. With the hope that the nearest gate wouldn’t creak too much she slipped inside someones garden. Thankfully there was no sign of the owner and she could hide behind their shed. The thundering footsteps of the bounty hunter rumbled past, pausing outside the gate. Tosh held her breath and stayed as still as she could, wishing her heart wasn’t so loud. Seconds felt like hours as she waited for the footsteps to continue. Finally they did, continuing down the line of houses. She let out the breath she’d been holding and called in to explain what was going on. 

Elise wasn’t as fast as the others on her own but carrying a baby made her even slower. She simply wouldn’t be able to keep it up, but she didn’t know how teleportation would affect a baby. That would be a last resort. She skidded round a corner and flattened herself against the wall, catching her breath. Anwen looked up at her and began to scrunch up her nose. 

“No, no. It’s ok. Please don’t cry. Please don’t cry.” She whispered but it was no use. A squeal filled the air before Elise began running again. “Come on kiddo, you’re killing me here.” The wall beside her head exploded, showering her in brick dust. She sprinted past a line of cars, using a parked van for cover as a shot grazed her right arm, tearing her sleeve open. “If I fight back you can’t tell your mum, ok? Ok.” She drew the blade from her belt and activated it, black mist swirling around the invisible edge. As the bounty hunter rounded the corner they found themselves missing an arm and the blaster that had been held at the end of it. 

“Hi, the only reason you’re not dead is I’m holding a baby so why don’t you run away and tell your little friends to get off my planet before I send them your head.”

The green scaled being glared at her from under their hood. “You think there’s only two of us? We’re just the scouts. If you want to live you should keep running.” They gestured up the road, calling their colleagues. 

Elise grabbed the blaster from the lizards severed limb and sprinted off. She could hear something familiar coming from beneath her feet. She needed to get out of public view and fast. In her original timeline there was a patch of wasteland nearby so she hoped it was one of those places that had always been wasteland. Anwen had settled, seeming to enjoy the running movement. 

Elise skidded down the dirt embankment and onto the desolate platform that was usually inhabited by the homeless, drunks or drug users. She’d spent a few weeks there in her early twenties and it was a slight relief that it hadn’t changed. The underpass was boarded up on one side so it left a perfect shelter to camp under until it flooded. The storm drain was further up, where the underpass used to run, and it spent half the year blocked but it was a lifeline right now. The grate clanged as it was pushed up and off by a clawed hand. Multiple weevils pulled themselves up and out into the open air, forming a defensive line around Elise and Anwen. 

“Thanks for the bail out guys. Be careful, these hunters are armed and will fire on you.”

Scar stepped out of the group and nodded. He trilled and pointed at the baby.

“Yea, I’m taking care of her for her mum. I’ve got to protect her.”

He nodded again as Anwen began to cry. He rejoined the line and growled out what could have been an order as the hunters appeared. Three lizard like beings with blasters bore down on the group as Elise tried to calm the baby. 

“What are these things?!” One reptile asked, caught off guard.

Another shrugged. “Who cares.”

“Out of our way or die!” Hissed the third, recognisable as the one who’d initially gone after Tosh.

The weevils took that as a threat and charged, barely registering the blaster fire as it thudded into their thick hide. Elise held her hands over Anwens ears to block out the crunching sounds and screams as the three were overwhelmed by the gang of weevils. They didn’t stand a chance due to numbers alone, and they didn’t realise soon enough that the blasters hurt the sewer dwellers but didn’t kill them in one shot. It was a massacre. Elise felt a sudden pain in her back as the lizard she’d taken the arm of stabbed her. The blade caught in the strap of the baby carrier so it didn’t go deep but it was enough. She turned, the blade still held in place by the thick fabric and came face to face with two very wide, slitted eyes. 

The reptile spluttered. “Armour? Why would… Please don’t kill me.”

She sighed deeply, breathing through the pain and wound back with her left arm, knocking him out in a single punch. 

The smell of blood hit Jack like a wave and he tensed up. Elise was definitely here, at least the tracker in her arm was. On the quiet air he could hear a soft melody. Someone singing. Reaching the embankment he realised where the smell of blood was coming from. The soil was saturated, making it loose and unstable. In the cleared area sat a large weevil in a jumpsuit, the sleeves in tatters as they’d been torn away, swaying to the melody. He hopped down, his team catching up. 

“Hey, you, show me that solvable problem. We can get through this, I’ll do the hardest part with you.” The soft female voice sang, stopping as Jacks boots hit the gravel. Scar turned sharply, baring his teeth before recognising who was there. He stepped aside to reveal Elise, sitting atop the still alive lizard, next to a pile of blasters, miscellaneous devices and belt buckles. Anwen seemed quite calm. 

“Good to see you. Looks like you didn’t need our help, huh?” The captain said relieved. 

A very tired looking Elise smiled. “I don’t know about that. I could do with someone taking the knife out of my shoulder.” She turned to the side to show the metal, still trapped in the thick fabric of the baby carrier strap. Owen ran over, ignoring Scars huffs and glares, to examine how bad the wound was. He cut around the pinned part of the strap so she didn’t have to stay as still, letting her unclip Anwen and pass her over to Jack.

“She’s a bit dusty but other than that there’s not a scratch on her.” She said, wincing at the pain in her shoulder blade. 

“Were you singing?”

“Would you believe me if I said no?”

“Not for a second.”

A strained hiss came from the figure on the floor. “Can you move now?!”

“Don’t make me punch you again.” Growled Elise, followed by Scar who was just feeling the general emotion of the situation. 

“You cut off my arm!”

“You tried to shoot me while I was carrying a baby.”

“Your attack whatever they are ate my crew!”

“I didn’t tell them to do anything. You just made them angry… And hungry… Hangry. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of a hangry weevil.”

“I heard this planet was rough but humans are meant to be weak and fragile. They still use ballistic weapons for Hiskas sake!”

“Humans are resilient. We’re a bit like roaches, you just can’t get rid of us.”


	6. Day five

“So, what was it you were singing yesterday? I didn’t recognise it.” Asked Tosh over lunch. 

Elise looked up and swallowed. “Oh, it’s just a song from a kids film I was in to when I was like nine or ten. It was cute. It was about these sentient crystals that came to Earth from a far off galaxy. One of their rulers had a hybrid baby with a human and it’s all about him trying to live up to his mums legacy and bring peace to the universe.”

“That sounds a bit heavy for a little kids show.” Owen said.

“It was presented really well. It was a big deal at the time because one of the gems was made of two others. All gems are female so it was technically a lesbian relationship.”

“That explains so much about you.”

“Oi, you can pry my gay space rocks from my cold dead hands.”

“It doesn’t sound too far from someone I met before. They couldn’t go out in harsh sunlight because the light focused through their body and set things on fire.” Jack mused. “Of course their home planet didn’t have a sun so at home it wasn’t a problem.” 

“When you say met…”

“I wouldn’t have said no but they were in a relationship.”

Ianto sighed, placing the empty bottle that he’d been feeding Anwen with on the table. “If you ask how I’m taking her out of the room.”

“That would have been the fun part.”

“Jack no.” 

A chuckle ran around the room.

“Anyway, I don’t mean to bring the mood down but are we going to tell Gwen about what happened?”

“We have to tell her that there’s a bounty on our heads.” 

Owen took a swig of his drink. “Yea, but what about what actually happened? We can replace the baby carrier and Eli can wear long sleeves to cover her arm, but we can’t exactly say nothing happened with the giant gecko we have in the cells.”

“He’ll be gone by tomorrow but you’re right. We should just be honest.”

“What? Where’s he going?”

“He’s going home to ward off anyone else who thinks of pulling a stunt like that.”

“Think we can trust him to not return with backup?”

“I told him that if I ever even heard of him again I’d personally feed him his own severed arm. I’ve got someone coming to escort him off planet some time tonight.”

“So we’re just going to tell Gwen everything then?” Asked Elise, feeling her shoulder twinge. 

“That’s my vote.” 

“Then can someone who can’t die stand between me and her when you do? She’s got a mean right hook.”

“She’s not going to be angry at you for getting ambushed. You kept Anwen safe, that’s what matters. How did you call the weevils anyway?”

“I didn’t. They just turned up.”

Owen lent back in his chair. “Wait… You didn’t call them but they knew exactly where you were?”

“Apparently.”

“What’re you thinking?” Asked Jack.

The doctor pulled his thoughts together. “The weevils don’t understand anyone but Elise, right? I don’t think it’s the language they understand. I think there has to be some kind of telepathic link to them. You don’t need to call them because your brain’s already asked them for help. I thought for a while it might be a pheromone based signal, but it can’t be because our scanners would have picked that up whenever you went to talk with Janet. Plus the changes would have to be subtle enough to convey complex ideas but strong enough for them to be able to smell over the sewer stink. They have basic pheromone signals depending on the season but nothing that complex even between themselves. The sounds they make are complex enough to be a language but you don’t understand them. There would need to be a similarity between your speech and theirs but there isn’t. At least not close enough to be significant. That just leaves two options. A telepathic link or an energetic one. Once again, an energetic signal wouldn’t be complex enough for you to present a complex idea. It could act as a distress signal but that’s a slightly separate system. The only possible way it could work is a telepathic link. I initially ruled it out as the scanners didn’t pick anything up but if it’s so low level, like background radiation, it might not be picked up.”

“Like a hive mind.”

“Sort of. It’s like an internet connection. You don’t have to post anything, but if you do then the rest can see it. Each individual has their own thoughts but messages can be passed automatically from one individual to another.” 

Elise raised an eyebrow. “It’s only one way though. They have to kind of point and gesture for me to understand what they’re going on about.” 

“Maybe not.” Tosh began. “It’s possible you just don’t know how to decode the signal. Your mind and a weevils should be incompatible but your link to the rift acts like a converter. It converts it into something they can understand but what they give you is the raw data that you haven’t got the correct converter to process. That or your side simply isn’t switched on. We all know that your link to the rift has gotten stronger. It started with only your hand, so you didn’t need your vortex manipulator to keep you going, but as time’s gone on and it’s spread you’ve gained access to new abilities. It might mean you just have to wait until that data converter is switched on. I’m sure you have the potential if this is how it works.” 

Both Owen and Tosh were in full science fed excitement mode and it was easy to tell that they’d be theorising for the rest of the afternoon. That was if they didn’t set up some kind of experiment. 

Elise pulled her phone from her pocket and typed for a moment before holding it up to Jack and Ianto. “Help meee.” Was written across the screen.

“Can you help me get all of Anwens things together?” Ianto asked, giving her a way out.

“I’d be happy to. When did Gwen say she’d be back?”

“At around three.”

“There’s still a few things at our place. I could always drop them off later.”

“I’ll help you grab everything. Save you the back and forth.” 

Jack pushed himself away from the table and stood. “Well then, I’ll keep this little princess out of trouble while you do.” He lifted Anwen into his arms, her eyes half open, very much milk drunk. 

Tibbles the cat shot into the house as soon as Elise opened the front door. 

“I didn’t know you had a cat.” Ianto said as he wiped his feet on the doormat. 

“We don’t. He lives next door but he likes to sleep on our bed. I have money on him being an alien with how he keeps getting in, even when the whole place is locked up. I’ll go and take apart the cot. There are a few of her toys and things in the living room and two bottles in the kitchen.”

“Right. I’ll grab them.” He stepped into the living room, the roomba humming past him and into the hallway. He paused to look over the large bookshelf that was attached to the far wall, straining under the weight of Toshikos book collection. A group of potted plants sat atop a shelf on the opposite wall, next to a large collection of video game boxes. Owens shelf obviously. Everything had its place but the place felt lived in, completely different from his own flat. It was neat and tidy of course but it just felt like somewhere he slept once in a while, not a home. It hadn’t really felt like a home since the night he was branded by someone he considered his friend. He didn’t like being in the kitchen alone for too long. It always made his ribs itch. The only time he spent there was with Jack. The hub felt increasingly like home which was a more depressing thought than he initially realised. He bent down to grab a couple of Anwens toys when he heard Elise call from upstairs.

“Sorry to be a pain, I can’t pull these two pieces apart because of my shoulder. Can you help?”

“Of course.” He pulled off his shoes and dropped them by the door, not wanting to be rude, before climbing up the stairs. Elise was sat on the bedroom floor next to the half deconstructed travel cot, checking she hadn’t pulled her stitches in the long mirror on the wardrobe door. The bedroom was large, as was the bed, and much like the living room everything had its place. The ball of black and white fur known as Tibbles was curled up right in the centre of the bed, purring as he settled to sleep. It was the picture of a life he once thought he’d have, but that was a long time ago. 

“You ok?” Asked Elise. “You look like you’re off with the fairies.”

He pulled himself together. “Sorry. This place is nice.”

“Thanks. We try. It’s those two parts, they should just pop apart but they’re being a bit stiff.”

The two parts of the frame were being less than cooperative but a little brute force and ignorance convinced them to separate. 

“Thanks… I’m kind of going to miss her, you know?”

“I too enjoy being woken up at the arse crack of dawn by a screaming child.” He said drily.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean you snarky git.”

“I know, I know. I’m going to miss her too. I’m just glad this has been such a quiet week. I can’t imagine having to care for her on one of our normal days.”

“That’s true. If the weevils hadn’t bailed me out yesterday, I don’t know if I could have kept running. I don’t dare even think about what could have happened if Solomon was around.” 

“Jack’s getting protective over you like he is with Tosh. Whenever Solomon gets mentioned he gets this look in his eyes. Like he’s about to commit murder.” 

“Like I told him, I’m ok. That twat basket gave me a few bruises and scared me a bit. I’m fine.” 

He placed the last pieces of the travel cot onto the foam base neatly, deciding it wasn’t the time to get into it. “All done. I was wondering, there isn’t much that looks like yours downstairs.”

“Oh yea. I keep my stuff in my little music room. I don’t have to but I always feel like my stuff gets in the way anywhere else. I’ll show you.” She lead him into the second bedroom that was covered in soundproofing foam. A drum kit sat in one corner. A desk with a keyboard and other bits of sound engineering technology sat in the other, a guitar leaning against the side with a small practice amplifier. Three large chests were placed behind the door holding everything else Elise called her own. “Some people have a man cave. I have this.”

“Thinking of starting a band?”

“Naa. I just don’t want to get rusty. It’s good exercise anyway. Anwen was having a blast last night just hitting the keyboard. I think Tosh has a short video of it.”

“Gwens going to be so annoyed when she starts asking for instruments on her fifth birthday.”

“I’m going to buy her something before five. She needs time to choose what instrument she wants to pursue.”

“Come on, we should get back before Owen starts trying to get Janet to telepathically call you.”

“I love it when they’re both enthusiastic, it’s cute, but I can see a lot of sitting around with flash cards in my future.” 

“I don’t know, an army of telepathically controlled weevils could be useful.”

“And not going to happen.”

“I’m kidding.”

“I’m not.”

Gwen never thought she’d be that happy to be back at the hub. She was tired and sore from the trip but she wanted to see Anwen more than her bed. Walking in she was surprised to see Owen carrying the baby around while talking about something with Tosh. Anwen spotted her mother and immediately began babbling and laughing, waving her arms around. 

“Welcome back.” Smiled Tosh. “How was your drive?”

“Long. Very long. I see she’s settled in then.” Gwen held out her arms to take Anwen who Owen gladly passed over. 

“She’s practically part of the team.”

Owen handed a small card over. “Jack made her a pass and everything. Apparently she’s an intern now.”

Gwen chuckled, cuddling her baby and looking over the ID. It was similar to her own but had Anwens picture and the word “intern” printed across it. “Is it just you two here?”

“Jack’s downstairs. Elise and Ianto went to grab the rest of the baby stuff from our place. You’ve inherited a new travel cot and playpen by the way.”

“I have… Wait… Oh bugger I didn’t leave the travel cot for you did I.”

“Elise made one. She said the ones on sale weren’t up to her standard.”

“That… Sounds about right actually. I’ll have to thank her when she gets back. And thank you both, you’re all life savers.”

“We didn’t mind at all.” Said Tosh. There was something uncomfortable about the way she spoke. As if there was something she wanted to say but didn’t know whether she should.

Owen, sensing the problem, broke the long pause. “You’ll have to bring her in at the start of next month for her first set of jabs.”

“I’ll put it on the calendar. Why did you never offer that to Rhys?” Gwen switched Anwen to her other hip.

“Because he’s a grown adult that can say if he starts hearing voices or loses all feeling in his limbs.”

“Still. Wouldn’t it be better for him to be safe.”

“She’s right.” Announced Jack. “Being as he’s in the know now it might be better if he doesn’t end up delirious and telling anyone he can about where we are.”

Owen narrowed his eyes. “What brought on this change of heart?”

“Bounty hunters breathing down our necks.”

“What?” Gwen looked between them. 

“We have a large bounty on our heads and as much as I’m hoping we can scare them off, we don’t want any loose threads.”

“When did this happen?”

“Yesterday.”

Owen rubbed his temples. “Way to break it to her softly.”

“No point dancing around the subject. We have to be on our guard and as much as I hate it that means making sure our weakest link can take care of themselves.”

“Weakest li- … Can you not talk about my husband like that?” Gwen grumbled. 

“Well, next week you can bring in your husband and teach him how to fire a gun without hurting himself.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t think his punches would do much against a ten foot tall, battle hardened, bounty hunter.”

She couldn’t argue that point but she wished Jack had put it in a nicer way. “I’ll see what I can do. How did you find out?”

“An old friend told me. That and the reptiles that tried to take out Tosh and Elise on their way home yesterday pretty much confirmed it.”

“We’re ok. No one was badly hurt.” Tosh said, trying to salvage the situation. 

Gwen turned. “So someone was hurt mildly?”

“Well, Eli got a large bruise on her arm from being grazed by a sonic blaster round... And…”

“And?”

“She got stabbed in the shoulder blade, but it was small and didn’t pierce that deeply. Plus the weevils took care of the hunters.”

“The weevils? Ok, can we go back to the start? I feel like I’ve missed a lot here.” 


End file.
